Key Information

Photographer

Collection

Date of Photo

Named Person

Region

Lhasa > Dekyi Lingka

Accession number

1998.131.461

Image Dimensions

113 x 168

The four Shappes of the Lhasa Cabinet sitting outside at a New Year's party at the Dekyi Lingka. They had previously handed over a permit to mount an expedition to climb Mount Everest in 1938 to the Mission. Left to right: Tendong, Bhondong, Kalon Lama, Langchunga. Tents belonging to the Mission can be seen in the background

Further Information

Photographic Process

Print gelatin silver

Date Acquired

Donated 1994

Donated by

Faith Spencer Chapman

Expedition

British Diplomatic Mission to Lhasa 1936-37

Photo also owned by

Frederick Spencer Chapman

Previous Catologue Number

BJ.13 In publication 'Lhasa Mission 1936, Diary of Events', P. Neame, H. Richardson, F. S. Chapman, Government of India Political Department [Note: photographs for October 18th - November 4th 1936 are not included as their relationship to text is not detailed; see Mission Diary text for details of images] [see photos in publication]

Previous Pitt Rivers Museum Number

SC.T.2.461

Published

'Lhasa Mission 1936, Diary of Events', P. Neame, H. Richardson, F. S. Chapman, Government of India Political Department [Note: photographs for October 18th - November 4th 1936 are not included as their relationship to text is not detailed; see Mission Diary text for details of images] [view list of illustrations]

Other Information

Notes on print/mount - The print is covered in crop and reproduction marks. The caption "The Four Shappes - the Lhasa Cabinet - Tendong, Bhondong, the Kalon Lama, Langchungna" has been written on the back in pencil, as has the reference number 'B-J-13' [MS 27/03/2006]

Other Information - Related Images

Other Information - Related Images: Images prefixed with 'BJ' comprise a group of negatives containing images of the Lhasa band, chang girls, Tibetan officials including Tsarong and Ringang, Finch, Norbhu, Everest Permit and Khampa people, all apparently taken in the first week of January 1937 [MS 16/03/2006]

Other Information - Setting

Other Information - Setting: "To celebrate New Year's Day we invited the following to a luncheon party: the Prime Minister; the four Shappes - or Cabinet Ministers - Langchunga, Bhondong, Tendong and Kalon Lama; the Yapshi Kung, or Grand Duke: Tsarong Dzaza, and Chikyap Khempo, the head of the Ecclesiastical party. ... On arrival the first act of the Cabinet was to hand to Norbhu a sealed packet made of coarse Tibetan paper, together with the customary white silk scarf of greeting. This turned out to be the permission for an Everest Expedition in 1938. The Cabinet had been considering the question for some weeks and it struck us as an act of the greatest courtesy to hand over the permit so unostentatiously as a New Year's present" ['Lhasa Mission, 1936: Diary of Events', Part XII p.1 , written by Chapman] [MS 23/03/2006]